My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

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"There's no other way... Let's assume we've already received approval, then what?"

"You mean, what would we do if we could date openly and honestly?"

"Um."

"You should be the one to say that. What do you want to do?"

"You...you should know that, right?"

"How old are you? Do you still want to experience middle school romance all over again?"

"What...what do you want to say! What do you want me to say!"

"What I'm trying to say is that in the end, it probably won't be any different. I'm not trying to be like Isana, but I also think that the only change that will occur after dating is whether or not there is sexual contact."

"...That's not true at all."

"So, where do you think the differences will be?"

"I will become your girlfriend, and you will become my boyfriend."

"Huh?...Taboo?"

The woman shook her head.

"This is important... I want to take the only seat next to you."

...the only seat.

This sentence sounds familiar.

That's what I said when I answered Isana's confession—

"You and Dongtou both said that it doesn't matter whether you date or not. But I'm different from you. I still consider it a special relationship. A special relationship that nothing else can replace."

"...What's so special about it? How is it special?"

"I can't quite put my finger on what's so special about it..."

"...I don't quite understand."

"Why can't you understand? You usually guess my thoughts so accurately, it's almost sickeningly sweet."

That accusatory tone made me a little angry.

"That's your fault for not explaining clearly enough. Please be more specific so I can understand."

"I told you it wasn't a specific problem...! You get the idea! You at least have experience having girlfriends!"

"If you don't understand, you don't understand! Don't force me to empathize with you! Your feminist thinking is really outrageous!"

"This has nothing to do with whether you're a boy or a girl!"

After cursing in a shrill voice, Jie suddenly came to her senses and shut her mouth.

I held my breath and focused my attention, observing the atmosphere outside the room.

If we argued too loudly, my dad and the others downstairs would hear us—I held my breath and observed for a moment, but it seemed they hadn't noticed.

We breathed a sigh of relief and exchanged a wink with each other.

"...Let's calm down first."

"It's just you having an outburst."

"Who do you think you are—oh, come on, you can't do that!"

At least he can call a halt on his own, so it seems he has improved.

"...In short, this relationship is very special to me...or should I say..."

She paused for a moment, carefully choosing her words.

"I hope it... can be very special."

Jie Nu spoke naturally and without affectation.

"Because I hope that the other person can repay my sincerity with sincerity."

—Repay sincerity with sincerity, right?

Although I don't quite understand it yet... I think I can grasp a little bit of it.

"...Now that we've laid our cards on the table, I'll tell you what's on my mind."

To repay sincerity with sincerity, I confess my feelings nakedly:

"I'm probably the type who gets annoyed when I'm restricted."

"..."

"Based on my experience from junior high school, you're the type who puts a lot of pressure on others when you're emotional. What's your take on that?"

The same applies to the event that caused the decisive breakdown of our relationship.

Although my actions triggered that situation, I had only spoken a few words to another girl, yet she held a grudge for half a year.

I already have a goal.

Can she guarantee she won't get in my way?

It's impossible to guarantee. We can tell from actual events.

"...As long as you don't cheat, everything will be fine."

Jie Nu said it in a sullen tone.

See? That's how it is.

"The problem lies in the definition of infidelity. Does it include simply talking about it?"

"I won't go that far again!"

"What else could it be?"

"...Um... Waaah... We can't hold hands."

"Should we stay in the same room?"

"As long as we don't touch it at all..."

"How will you confirm this? By fingerprint identification?"

"—Ugh, so annoying! Anyway, it's just about Dongtou's classmate!"

Jie said impatiently and drank the rest of the roasted tea.

The woman rudely put the empty cup back on the table and stared at me.

"I've already investigated everything, so let's be frank."

Irito Yume ◆ Brothers and Sisters Meeting - Regarding Higashigashi Isana

"You seem to be spending a lot of time at Dongtou's house lately."

I realized my tone was starting to sound like a girlfriend confronting her cheating boyfriend, but I said it anyway:

"You initially said you were going to be a tutor, but it seems you're also taking care of her daily needs?"

"How did you know...?"

"She told me herself."

"You went to see Isana?"

"Yes, I also asked her to let me see those paintings."

"……Then what?"

"I only have one question to ask you."

I extended my index finger and aimed it straight at the tip of the water bucket's nose.

"Are you... really confident you won't lay a hand on Dongtou?"

"........."

You remained silent.

"Let me think about it."

"Doesn't that mean you still need to think about it?"

"You're right, it is necessary."

"!...You're just admitting it so readily?"

"Now that we've laid everything out, I won't hide anything anymore... I must confess, there are indeed times when I feel sexually aroused by Isana. That's to be expected, isn't it?"

"He says such things with such self-righteousness."

"But you know that, right? That girl really doesn't know how to protect herself. Who could remain unmoved when they saw her like that? I'm not so great that I can completely control my desires either..."

"Dongtou considers you a friend. Yet you look at her with such lewd eyes. Isn't that incredibly rude to Dongtou?"

"I know...that's why I never show it. You know what? That guy's even more outrageous at home."

"What kind of exaggeration...?"

"Last time, her butt was reflected in the mirror, and she still didn't notice..."

"Huh? What did you say?!"

"She said she hadn't showered, so I told her to take a shower, but she'd forgotten to bring a change of clothes. So she asked me for help, but there was a bathroom mirror behind the door..."

I remembered seeing Higashi-go's naked body at Arima Onsen.

My eyes couldn't help but drift towards her chest, but Dongtou actually had a voluptuous, fleshy figure all over; I imagined it would feel incredibly soft to the touch, and her buttocks too—

"...You're such a pervert..."

"Why would you be the one getting excited?"

Ah! I quickly shut my mouth.

No, no, no, I'm not as perverted as Xiaoyue or Yashuang.

"...In short—"

I rallied my spirits and said:

"If you're in the same room with a girl like that every day, are you really sure you won't make a move on her?"

If I were a boy, I probably wouldn't be able to control myself in less than a week.

No, even if it wasn't a boy, he'd probably touch her by the third day. Like Xiaoyue and Yashuang, who made a move the first time they met.

Shuidou awkwardly touched his neck and said:

"...I will not intervene. This is the only answer I can give you based on my own will."

"Based on your will?"

"I might accidentally bump into her. For example... let's put it this way, if that girl learns to drink in the future, and sometimes acts crazy when she's drunk, then I'll be the one taking care of her, right? In that case, I can't avoid touching her body, and I might even need to change her clothes..."

"Are you talking about the so-called 'lucky pervert' type?"

"It's not lucky, okay?"

"real?"

I stared at the water bucket with my eyes half-open.

"Can you really say you weren't lucky?"

"…………well."

Shuidou immediately slumped down, sighed, and let out a sigh.

"Is it really okay to just say everything?"

"Yes, didn't I just say that?"

"I don't feel lucky at all; on the contrary, I feel extremely guilty and think I should have done it. This... is probably because I feel a little bit of secret smug satisfaction."

"...See?"

What does "See?" mean?